Fibrin Fibers: Numero Uno in Stretchability

Three series of photos (A-D, E-H, I-K) show the elasticity and extensibility of fibrin fibers, a main component of blood clots. The last photo (L) shows a representative clot used for fiber experiments.

Researchers at Wake Forest University have made a most amazing discovery, the one that will have many implications for research and for the clinical practice. Their discovery: fibrin is the most elastic fiber out of any naturally occurring fiber. This can make fibrin your best friend or worst enemy. On one hand it’s incredibly resistant to stress and strain, making it perfect for clotting. However, because it is so resilient, getting rid of one before it causes serious damage can be seriously difficult. Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

The tiny fibers that comprise blood clots show extraordinary elasticity, on average stretching to almost three times their length while still retaining their ability to go back to their normal shape and expanding to more than four times their length before breaking, according to findings published in the journal Science this week by researchers at Wake Forest University.
This discovery, which makes these fibrin fibers the most stretchable known fibers existing in nature, will help medical researchers create more accurate blood clot models, provide new insights into the wound healing process and offer a deeper understanding of heart attacks and strokes…
“For all naturally occurring fibers, fibrin fibers are the ones you can stretch the furthest before they break,” said Martin Guthold, assistant professor of physics and one of the lead authors of the paper that appears in Science. “This was a stunning revelation because people hypothesized that these fibers stretched but broke much easier. In some cases, fibrin fibers had the ability to be stretched more than six times their length before they broke.”
Blood clots are a three-dimensional network or mesh of fibrin fibers, stabilized by another protein called factor XIIIa. Because of its important function of stemming the flow of blood in the body, clots have to be both strong and pliable. Fibrin fibers measure about 100 nanometers in diameter, roughly 1,000 times smaller than a human hair.
“The fibrin fibers need to stop the flow of blood, so there is a lot of mechanical stress on those fibers,” Guthold said. “Our discovery of these mechanical properties of individual fibrin fibers shows that these fibers likely endow blood clots with important physiological properties. They make blood clots very elastic and very stretchable.”
Scientists had previously been unable to study the mechanical properties of individual fibrin fibers because of their small size.
Guthold and his research team at Wake Forest created a device by combining two microscopes that could not only see the fibrin fibers but also stretch the fibers. The fibers were suspended across a channel and anchored to the ridges of the channel at right angles. The fibers were stretched using the tip of an atomic force microscope. Movies showing the stretching are available online:http://users.wfu.edu/gutholdm/research.html
Results showed that on average fibrin fibers can be stretched to 4.3 times their length before breaking. In addition, the fibers can be stretched to more than 2.8 times their length and still recover without permanent damage.
Roy Hantgan, associate professor of biochemistry at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and a member of the research team, said the study findings have significant implications for human health.
“Knowing that the fibrin strands that make up a human blood clot are more stretchable than a spider’s web helps us to understand how clots can seal wounds tightly and withstand the pressure in our blood vessels,” Hantgan said. “This new information also helps us to understand how tough it is to remove a clot that is preventing blood flow to a person’s heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.”

Fibrin isn’t just stretchy. It has some really neat regenerative properties. Fibrin is currently the focus of some tissue engineering studies. It’s hoped that fibrin, seeded with adult stem cells, can be injected into tissue defects for repair in an incision-free procedure.
Ok, just one more fibrin fact. Did you know that surgeons sometimes use “fibrin glue” in place of sutures or surgical staples to more rapidly facilitate healing and reduce the formation of scar-tissue? I bet the non-surgeons in the audience didn’t.
The press release is here …More…

Justin Barad is a board eligible pediatric orthopaedic surgeon. He did his fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital in the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Surgery program and his residency at UCLA. He is also the Founder and CEO of Osso VR, a clinically validated surgical simulation platform.
His interests include Virtual/Augmented Reality, robotics, surgical navigation and 3D Printing/Scanning, He is always looking to discuss the latest and greatest in medtech. He has been writing for Medgadget about medical technology since 2006 and also has several research publications and presentations.

Event Details

ME Conferences is organizing "18th International Conference on Gastroenterology and Digestive Disorders" during September 16-17, 2019, Dubai, UAE. Conference highlights

more

Event Details

ME Conferences is organizing “18th International Conference on Gastroenterology and Digestive Disorders” during September 16-17, 2019, Dubai, UAE. Conference highlights the theme- Improving Access in Gastroenterology: From Past to Future.

Gastro Meet 2019 is a leading platform for a focused agenda of the current research in the field of gastroenterology which includes, guest lectures, keynotes, symposiums, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions, and poster sessions. We invite Gastroenterologists, Hepatologists, General Physicians, Microbiologists, Oncologists, Surgeons, Researchers, Students, and Business delegates to join us at Dubai in August 2018 for the 2-day power packed Gastroenterologists Meet.

Time

september 16 (Monday) - 17 (Tuesday)

Organizer

Event Details

Join thousands of passionate innovators at Europe's greatest festival of health tech innovation. The Global Innovation and New Technology Health Event showcases leading health tech from around the world and

Event Details

Join thousands of passionate innovators at Europe’s greatest festival of health tech innovation. The Global Innovation and New Technology Health Event showcases leading health tech from around the world and is accelerating innovation in an inspiring and creative environment. Super early bird half-price ticket sales begins on 7 May.

Time

Location

Event Details

LogiMed is the only European event designed for medical device supply chain directors and their teams. It is where Heads of Supply Chain and Logistics from the top pharma companies

more

Event Details

LogiMed is the only European event designed for medical device supply chain directors and their teams. It is where Heads of Supply Chain and Logistics from the top pharma companies in Europe gather to benchmark, interact, network and develop professionally.

Only at LogiMed will you have the chance to learn from and network with all the major medical device companies, key hospitals, and the most innovative industry suppliers. All openly sharing the do’s and don’ts to help you adapt to new regulations, redefine your supply chain strategy-covering planning, logistics and customer service to achieve greater end-to-end supply chain operations.

Download the agenda to find out exactly who is speaking, what the hottest topics are and how LogiMed can benefit you. LogiMed 2019 will bring together 250 Medical Device Supply Chain Professionals and 50 expert speakers over 2 value packed days.

Time

Location

Event Details

HLTH is the largest and most important conference for health innovation. It’s an unprecedented, large-scale forum for collaboration across senior

more

Event Details

HLTH is the largest and most important conference for health innovation. It’s an unprecedented, large-scale forum for collaboration across senior leaders from established payers, providers, employers, and pharma services, as well as from disruptive startups, prolific investors, representatives from government, academia, health associations, business groups, media, and industry analysts. The event is unique in creating a marketplace for the key stakeholders leading the dialogue and development of a new health ecosystem. HLTH’s mission is to be a catalyst to drive substantial reductions in health costs and dramatic increases in health quality. HLTH takes place on October 27-30, 2019 at the MGM Grand’s brand new conference facility.

Medgadget readers can receive $150 off a HLTH ticket with code medgadget150.

Time

october 27 (Sunday) - 30 (Wednesday)

Location

Event Details

Exponential Medicine is a unique and intensive four-day experience that gathers world-class faculty, innovators and organizations from across the biomedical and technology spectrum to explore and leverage the convergence of

more

Event Details

Exponential Medicine is a unique and intensive four-day experience that gathers world-class faculty, innovators and organizations from across the biomedical and technology spectrum to explore and leverage the convergence of fast moving technologies in the reinvention of health and medicine.

Our home in San Diego at the iconic Hotel del Coronado is the magic X-factor in building connections and catalyzing deeper-than-usual conversation among faculty and participants. We make full use of one of America’s most beautiful seaside resorts; its history beautifully complements the future-focus of Exponential Medicine.

From talks given in a custom-designed theater with multiple configurations for listening and idea generation, to our hands-on technology lab, beachside morning yoga, dinners, and bonfires—Exponential Medicine is a high energy, bold redesign of a medical conference.

Time

Event Details

The World Hospital Congress of the International Hospital Federation (IHF) is a unique global forum that brings together leaders of

more

Event Details

The World Hospital Congress of the International Hospital Federation (IHF) is a unique global forum that brings together leaders of national and international hospital and healthcare organizations to discuss key drivers of national and international policy, management, financial trends and solutions in healthcare management and service delivery. Through this forum multidisciplinary exchange of knowledge, expertise and experiences are facilitated, together with dialogue on best practices in leadership in hospital and healthcare management and delivery of services. The IHF World Hospital Congress is a one-stop shop for the healthcare professional seeking the opportunity and environment in which to engage in a 360-degree learning and knowledge-sharing experience among peers.

The Ministry of Health of the Sultanate of Oman is proud to host the 43rd World Hospital Congress with the theme “People at the heart of health services in peace and crisis”. Together with the IHF, they invite all hospital and health service leaders from around the globe to join the event on 7-9 November 2019 in Muscat.

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.